Soft
by KaptenKramp
Summary: "Do you have to go?" Quizzical eyes pinned her where she stood and the gentle smile that played on his lips faded. "It's just that," she continued, averting her own eyes, well aware that he was studying her, "I've got a bad feelin' 'bout this one, Daryl."
1. Chapter 1

**I would like to first off thank any of you who have decided to visit and give this story a try. I'm a hardcore Bethyl shipper myself, but it's not until now that I've given an independent try. Otherwise I Beta for Steph2106's _'In the arms of the angel'_ which is a pretty good story, if I may say so myself.**

**This will be a very humble try at writing a modest romance between probably two of the most unlikely characters to ever form a romantic bond. Which means this story will not contain many chapters and the plot will be very simple.**

**A second and third part have read through my writing. Any mistakes that still may be found are surely that of my own.**

* * *

_"It is the still small voice that the soul heeds,_

_not the deafening blasts of doom."_

_William Dean Howells_

* * *

Beth was sitting on the bottom bunk of her cell and Jude was bouncing happily on her lap. Beth was grateful for the sheet that was hanging over the opening, shielding them from any discomfort of prying eyes. It wouldn't have mattered, though. The only ones who bothered to go up this early were either Rick, herself…

_or Daryl._

Colour slowly rushed up to her face, giving her cheeks a darker shade of pink.

She couldn't help herself.

Lately Daryl had affected her in a manner she never thought he of all people would. It started a few weeks after the incident with Zack, after Daryl had tried to break the news to her as softly as he could. After that something changed. Every time he walked in, her eyes were pulled to him like magnets, as if nature's own laws demanded it. Every time he came close to her a strange, unfamiliar and tingling warmth gathered in her stomach and then spread out all the way to her fingertips. Every time he spoke to her his voice made her numb and the words he spoke seemed to mix together in her head.

She'd started noticing things with him she had no business noticing. The way he moved, and how his muscles moved under the taut, tanned skin of his arms, how much _male_ he was compared to all the others. The thought often left her breathless.

Beth never felt as self-conscious as she would every time Daryl came near.

She couldn't help herself.

A soft giggle escaped from Beth when the lively baby in her lap gurgled and waved frantically with her arms. Big, interested eyes were staring up at her.

"Hey," Beth smiled warmly down at the little life that was now clutching at the blonde braid hanging down the front of her right shoulder. "Let's get you something to eat!"

Jude secured and supported by one arm, Beth swept the sheet over the opening to the side but halted in her step when a shadow suddenly walked by. It was Michonne. She was walking with purposeful steps and she was carrying a backpack.

"Hey," Beth called curiously, stepping out in the light. "Where you goin'?"

Her throat constringed when it appeared Daryl was walking in front of Michonne. She hadn't seen him there. They both turned around at the call for their attention.

"Catching the light while we can. Formula's running out. And some other stuff." Michonne shrugged slightly, hands around the straps of the backpack.

Beth's eyes bounced between Daryl and Michonne. The hunter shifted, arranging the crossbow to hang over his opposite shoulder. He looked almost nervous.

"Anyone else going?"

Daryl shook his head. "Just us."

For a small moment Beth wasn't sure about what to say and arranged Judith to sit on her left hip. "When will you be back?" She hadn't meant for the question to come out as hesitant as it did.

Beth wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Michonne's eyes narrow at her. Michonne was one of the few who treated Beth like she was an adult. Everyone else kept babying her but Beth didn't blame them. There was too much for everyone to take care of for them to notice that she wasn't a child anymore. But Michonne had realized since long that Beth was smarter and saw more than she let on.

Beth _wasn't_ dumb. A simple run for provision with just Michonne and Daryl in the equation didn't sound quite right. They were going to do something they didn't want too many people to know. Something dangerous.

"We'll come back." Michonne smiled gently at her.

"How's Ass-kicker?"

Beth flinched. She felt the familiar warmth spread through her body when she was suddenly hyper aware of Daryl's eyes studying her.

"Hungry. Was just about to get her some food."

With a soft, crooked smile the hunter swung the crossbow over one strong, defined shoulder and propped the weapon against the wall. "Here," he said, coming towards her with his hands out.

"Catch you by the gate, Dixon." Michonne disappeared around the edge.

Beth didn't notice. She couldn't help herself.

Her whole attention was on the hunter who swiftly relieved her of the weight of the child. He raised Judith towards the ceiling and she looked down at him with the wonder of someone who was seeing something for the first time.

"She's getting heavier." There was a youthful smile playing on his lips that was exclusively meant for Judith's eyes.

Beth chuckled. "Yeah. She's growin' fast."

"I reckon' at this rate she'll be runnin' around the prison garden once we're back."

A moment of silence.

Beth shifted on her feet. "Do you have to go?"

Quizzical eyes pinned her where she stood and the gentle smile that played on his lips faded.

"It's just that," she continued, averting her own eyes, well aware that he was studying her, "I've got a bad feelin' 'bout this one, Daryl."

Lowering the baby to rest against his chest, Daryl stared down at the young woman with the kind of loss for words he hadn't had for a long time. He knew she had placed an attachment on him, somehow, but she'd never expressed it in this kind of way before. He knew he had to tread carefully.

"Beth," he said, reaching a hand out, fingers going almost naturally around her elbow and he found himself pulling her a little closer. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to comfort her. "Beth, this ain't just for me."

Internally, she sighed. Was she being selfish?

She chanced meeting his eyes and a quick streak of warmth went through her again when she stared straight back into the round piercing blue hues. She cupped the side of the taut skin of his lower upper arm for support. She thought she felt him flinch.

"I know. I just wish it didn't have to be you all the time."

A chuckle rumbled from his chest.

"Girl, if it weren't me, I'd pro'ly go crazy from spending too much time between these walls, anyway. Ya don't gotta worry 'bout me."

He felt pleased with his effort when a small chuckle was elicited from her. Then her face changed and he thought he saw her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. Had he said something wrong?

"'Sides," he continued. "Michonne's comin', too. I don't see ya fussin' over her. 'Sayin' I can't take care of myself?"

She punched his shoulder and he gave her a wicked grin.

"Knowin' you, Dixon, you're pro'ly gonna come back with wounds and scratches enough for one man to collect in a lifetime."

"Never stopped me before."

Silenced ensued and they looked each other again, both fighting the urge to shift under the scrutinizing gaze of the other.

Clearing his throat, he renewed his hold on Judith – who was currently completely fascinated by his goatee. "Michonne's waiting, Beth. Have to say good by –"

"No." The word came out stronger and more assertive than she had meant.

He looked nervous again. "What?"

"We don't say good bye." She held out her hands and accepted Judith from his arms. "You'll be back."

Something akin to understanding flashed through his eyes. He was proud of her then. He wasn't smiling, but there was still a soft, gentle touch playing on his lips. Suddenly he halted as if he'd changed his mind about something in the last second. Beth quizzically frowned at him, wondering if there was something more he wanted to say. He looked like he was trying to muster up some words.

Suddenly he stretched out a hand and tugged a lonely lock of hair hanging in the front of her face back behind her ear.

With a nod of acknowledgement, he turned around. The hunter swiftly swept the crossbow up from the ground before he, too, disappeared behind the edge of the wall.

Beth remained several minutes, playing the scene in her head over and over again, until the sound of Judith woke her up from her thoughts.

The corners of her mouth tugged into a smile. She couldn't help herself.

**To be continued**

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**Thanks to Ranon and Steph for putting up with the things I shove their way.**

**And thank you all for reading! Now, please review! I would like to hear your thoughts. Reviews are like presents at Christmas for a writer.**

**Until next time,**

**KaptenKramp**


	2. Chapter 2

**I can't even tell you how grateful I am for that review response! Wow. I really did not expect that many reviews for a first chapter. **

**Thanks to frankielouwho, Alnihan, steffy2106, Kass95, SIERRAWOHLMAN, Mione788, SailorJollyRegina, Dollyrocker85, JElysha11, Guest, candi, b and Guest.**

And thanks to anyone else who have favorited, followed or just jumped in to read! Really, I'm honored.

**I am super excited about this chapter myself because I'm introducing an OC character I've created and I'm quite attached to him already. Unfortunately Daryl will not appear very much in this one but we'll get there!**

**Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for The Walking Dead and it's characters.**

* * *

"_A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."_

Steve Martin

* * *

The corridors echoed with a soft, gentle voice, ringing with a familiar melody that anyone who listened had thought they would never hear again.

"…_anytime you feel the pain, hey, jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders."_

Beth bobbed Jude in her arms, walking back and forth in the empty corridor near her own cell. Judith was nestled in a warm blanket in Beth's warm, protecting arms. Her eyes drifted closed, sleep starting to take over.

"_For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool, by making his world a little –…_"

"It's an oddly fitting song."

Beth flinched, turning around to see Carol coming towards her with something that looked like a glass-bottle filled with flowers. "'_Hey Jude_.'" She smiled warmly at Beth. "I never thought I'd hear The Beatles again. Maybe even they can outlive the apocalypse."

Beth shrugged, good-naturedly. "I figure she just likes hearing what I call her."

"I think it's your voice."

Abashed, Beth's cheeks tinted a little pink, but she said nothing.

The woman gave her a steady smile, observing her for a second before placed the bottle with flowers on the wooden table Rick had set up for Beth and Jude right outside her cell.

"That's not gonna last long without proper sunshine," Beth observed, still rocking the now sleeping baby in her arms.

Carol nodded, eyes settled on the bottle with a frown etched between her eyebrows. There was still something close to amusement evident in her eyes. "It's not, isn't it?"

With a small chuckle she looked up at the wall. The two windows on the wall were divided into small sections, small squares that let through very little daylight. "You'd think prisons where people are supposed to be rehabilitate would be made with at least a few more windows. Like in the good old days."

"Concrete bars and black-white stripes?" Beth sounded amused even with the sarcasm.

Carol supressed the urge to wink at her. "No, you're right," she nodded. "We're impossibly lucky as it is."

The young woman allowed a finger to brush over a yellow petal of one the few flowers. The texture felt marvellous against her skin. "It's pretty." Her eyes spoke of nothing but honesty when they met Carol's. "Thank you."

"I thought this part of the prison deserved a little more decoration."

The young woman tilted her head as a gentle observation came to her. "Home."

"I'm sorry?"

Beth looked briefly down at Judith before she met Carol's eyes again. "Judith's going to grow up here, her first good memories are going to be born right here and I can't imagine a better place right now. This isn't a prison, Carol. It's _home_."

The warm smile that always seemed to wake good feelings in Beth spread out over Carol's friendly face and she looked almost proud. She nodded at Judith.

"I can take over, now. You need a break, kid, I'll tuck her in."

Taking care of Judith was one of the things that kept Beth going. Judith was the reason she got up early at mornings. Judith was the reason she skipped dinner when she had to look after a crying baby. Most nights Judith would sleep by Rick, but Beth knew most of the time he already had too much on his plate during the day and some nights he desperately needed to sleep uninterrupted, which was why she took care of her those nights, even if it meant she had to wake up several times to comfort her. Saying that Beth cared for the child was an understatement. Beth loved Judith as her own. That didn't mean being relieved of the burden every now and then wasn't appreciated.

"C'mere, love-bug." Carol took Judith into her arms without waking her in the kind of natural and practiced manner only a mother would know.

Beth nibbled on her bottom lip. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Carol tilted her head at Beth with a look that made her beam. "Go on, kid. Skedaddle."

"Thanks, Carol. And thanks again for the flowers!"

The older woman winked at her before Beth turned around and disappeared behind the wall.

* * *

"Flowers, Ted. Really?"

Carl arched a brow down at the young man who was kneeling by the edge of the small field they had created for the crops. At the edge, there was a small square with white flowers coming out of the soil.

Ted had put the seeds there several weeks ago after he'd found a package of them out on a run.

Ted's shoulders tensed and he sounded almost embarrassed. "You can say what you like, I've seen enough situations to know that girls dig it!"

Carl pursed his lips to hold in the smile that was threatening to spread out on his face. He cleared his throat and took a step back with a relaxed hand over the holster.

"You sure it's not just because you like flowers, Ted?"

As Ted pulled out a flower he tried to keep in the chuckle that threatened to escape him, but it came out as a breathy cough instead. "Shut up, Carl. You're just jealous you don't have a better plan."

Ted pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his grey and dirty, worn-out jeans while Carl gave him an incredulous glare.

"Why would I even _want _a plan?"

"Please, don't pretend like nothing. I _know_ you've been staring at Beth."

Carl was silent for a small moment, unable to hide the colour that quickly rushed up to his face. "No, I haven't." He tried to sound calm.

"Yeah, you have! You've been ogling her at every chance you get, every time she's in the same room as you!"

"No, I _haven't_!" Carl took a step forward, face practically red with embarrassment to which Ted only snickered teasingly.

"Yes, Carl. You _have_. Her old man's even noticed, you're terrible at hiding it! At least admit it!"

Carl took another step forward but with a threatening edge to it this time and Ted threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Oh, did that strike a nerve?"

Carl thrust out a hand and pushed him, but not very hard, just enough to make a point. "Shut up, Ted!"

They were both too busy – Ted having fun at Carl's expense and Carl glaring holes through him – to notice the walkers, groaning and hissing louder because of the noise they were making or the person that was quietly nearing them inside the garden.

"Hey, guys!"

A comical silence filled with tension suddenly dominated the air and Ted tried to keep from snickering by keeping his lips tightly pressed together.

Carl twirled around and had to put a hand on his hat to keep it from falling from his head. "Uh- hey, Beth. W-where's Judith?"

"She's with Carol. What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," they both said in unison and Beth arched an incredulous brow.

Ted stepped forward, both hands behind his back and smiled at her. "Beth, close your eyes."

Her eyes narrowed instead. "I'm not goin' to face a disgusting worm or somethin' like that, right?" She was already familiar with Ted's pranks. "Because if I am, I'd like to remind you I can punch harder than people think I can."

Ted had experienced that first hand when he had chased her with a spider. He almost winced at the memory. "Uh- promise."

She looked like she was still considering it but eventually closed her eyes. "I'm warnin' you, Ted," she said low as she felt him slip something into her hair above her ear.

"Go ahead."

When she opened her eyes Ted was merely smiling at her and he looked pleased with himself. Her hand went to her ear and a smile broke out in her face when she felt the flower there. "A flower? Aw, Ted, where'd you get it?"

He stepped aside and gestured down at the flowerbed and Beth's eyes lit up. It looked too arranged to have grown there naturally. "You did this?"

"Sure did."

Beth bent down to her knees to admire them and Ted crossed his arms, looking at Carl with a smug smile. _What I tell you?_ his eyes were saying and Carl merely rolled his own.

When an idea suddenly came to Ted, his eyes widened and he straightened his back. His smile slowly grew and by the look he was giving Carl, it was obvious he was up to something. Carl shook his head pleadingly.

"Beth, Carl here mentioned he wanted to help you get to know firearms better before."

"What?" Carl exclaimed.

"Really?" Pleasantly surprised Beth looked from Ted to Carl and then back to Ted again, though her stare was incredulous. "Ted. I know that face."

He swore and took a step back, disappointed that she called him out.

"I wouldn't mind, though." Carl crouched down beside her. "I guess knowing some more about it wouldn't harm, right?"

"Guess not. What would your dad think about it, though?"

"Think about what?"

Rick came up right behind them, hands on his hips and thumbs hooked through the belt-loops.

Ted cleared his throat and lowered his head reverently. Always when the people who held some kind of authority – especially Rick – came around Ted made sure to show as much respect as he could. Had it not been for these people, he would have been dead after all. "Hi, sir."

Rick nodded at him. "Afternoon, Ted. Beth."

"Hey, dad," Carl squinted up at him.

Beth pushed herself to her feet, brushed the dust off her knees and smiled at Rick. He looked into her eyes like he wanted to ask her a question, but Beth was ahead of him. "She's with Carol. Sleepin'."

"I see." He nodded. "Carl?"

"Um," he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Can I teach Beth how to use guns?"

Rick's eyes went from Beth and back to his son. "She's got a Vektor, don't she?"

Her Vektor CP1 was probably one of the easiest guns to navigate. That's why they had given it to specifically her. It looked like one of those space-guns, like it came right out of a Star Wars movie, but it was more comfortable than any other gun they had.

"Yeah, but it's the only one we got and the bullets will only last that long."

Beth felt awkward standing there and having them talking about her like she wasn't. "It's fine, Carl. I don't want to be any trouble."

"Learnin' to survive ain't trouble. It's a necessity." His voice was harder, with an air of stubbornness that made Beth nervous. She really didn't want to be the cause of an unnecessary drama.

Rick shifted on his feet and gazed out the field, eyes squinting. "Alright," he said after a small moment.

"Alright?" Carl sounded happier and relieved.

Rick nodded at his son "Alright. But if she's going to learn, she needs to do it properly from the start."

"Fine, I'll start planning it first thing today-"

"_I'll_ do it."

Silence came over them. Carl stared up at his father. "What?"

The older man put a reassuring and steady hand on his son's shoulder before he looked at Beth. "I'll help you. If that's alright with you, Beth?"

"I," she looked at Carl and then back at Rick. "I mean, I'd love to as long as it doesn't get in the way of Judith or my other chores."

He smiled reassuringly down at her. "I'll ask Carol to help with that."

Ted leaned over to Carl, his voice low. "You totally blew it, man."

"_Shut up, Ted!_" He was practically hissing at him.

"So," Rick brushed the back of his hand over his forehead. "We've some crops to pull. Carl, Ted." He nodded at them to follow him.

"Yes, sir," they said in unison and did as they were told.

Ted twirled around and walked backwards as he winked at Beth "See you later, Greene."

She rolled her eyes at him, the corners of her lips tugging up. "Later, Vega."

* * *

Michonne tried to keep her composure, tried not to reach out and punch the face of the ugly gorilla that was currently pushing her forward with a tight, painful grip around her arm. So tempting.

Her eyes went to Daryl who silently communicated to her to keep her cool. He looked like he wanted to punch someone himself. They had been relieved of their weapons and were being pushed forward to a tent that looked different from all the other ones in the camp.

"Boss," one of the goons called from behind Daryl and pressed the tip of the shotgun he was carrying into his back, daring him to make a move.

Daryl's jaws clenched with frustration. He should never have let them get caught, damnit.

There came a sound of movement from inside the tent before the drape was lifted to the side. Out came a rough looking blonde man in a black wife-beater and army pants. Scars were all over his dusty face and he had a cigarette between his lips. Quietly, he gave Michonne and Daryl a once-over before he looked at the person behind Daryl's shoulder.

"We found them sneaking around the area. Won't say nothin' but I've got a good guess where these came from."

A pang of panic went through Daryl when the leader's eyes lit up. Nothing about this felt good at all.

"Well done, Patrick." His voice was sleek, the kind of voice that would make you shiver with disgust.

His eyes shifted between Daryl and Michonne again. "So," he said, a grin spreading out over his scarred cheeks. Daryl refused to let the shiver that ran down his spine show through.

"Let's talk about that prison."

* * *

**Oops, cliffhanger. I'm sorry! Those torture me, myself. I'm pretty aweful for this. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though! Tell me what you think! What did you think about Ted? He's a bit of an annoying little shit, but we all have those in our midst.**

**Tell me everything; good, bad or ugly, lay it on me!**

**Until next time,**

**KaptenKramp.**


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